Dave, there is this thing called traction. I don't see a Civic with 250 HP getting any.

AC

 

I know all about those Western PA roads. Grew up just down the road from you in Slippery Rock, then went to college in Clarion....wish I had my vette back then....you can't find a deserted road within a 30 mile radius down here! :nonod:

 

I never said the ricer would win just it might be close.....
However a 250hp ricer getting traction isn't as big a problem as you may think.......just remember where all the weight is.... wheel hop and torque steer are the biggest problems...

 

Just watched that awesome MTV special. :lol:

Hope those guys never run into some guys with real cars. :D

AC

 

Be careful with those Civics....just raced one last week and got smoked. Mine however is stock L48 with automatic. His was an imported motor from Japan and then modified here!

If you race a ricer, make sure you go fo a 1/4 mile or more. The ricers are quicker off the line, but lack power at higher speeds. I raced the same ricer on a back road this week for 1/4 mile, and took him by at least 3 car lengths.

You have the ultimate ZZ4, fear nothing and go for it. :chevy Use good gas, about half tank ( saves weight), no passangers, check tire pressure and adjust rear view mirror to check if he is still in the race! :lol:

Good Luck

 

clutchdust, I agree. I lose and I'm changing my forum name, real name, place of work, place of residence. Either that or buy my friend's 125 shot nitrous kit, hotcam, new intake, 1.6 roller rockers etc... :lol:

nitrocharger, It's too late. He knows it's a 355 horse 408 foot-pound street machine. Talked to him today, seems no nitrous or turbo.

A C, Hmm... that's good to hear. I had no knowledge about what those types of cars tend to run.

'79ProwlerOrange, Gears, that's my next step. 3.36 or 3.55 I haven't decided yet but the 3.08 might have to go. 0-60 is nice though.

Justin79-L-82, Not sure what an s2000 is but I know he doesn't have one. It's a civic. s2000 fast?

blackguard, That is the sort of thing that worries me.

74jack, Heh heh, Rice Pudding, I like that. Also like the approach you mention. Could help pay for the parts I use to beat him. How ironic.

youwish2bme, Hmm. I did know they had a weight advantage but front wheel drive can be hard to hook. Sure it won't have much low end torque but it seems that weight transfer would be a bit of a bear. Heck, I can spin the tires all day in my mother's minivan. :lol: As soon as I try to accelerate I can move about a foot then SqueEEEEEeeel.

bsowa, Yeah, SIippery Rock is right around the corner for me. 'Bout 10-15 minutes. They have been doing a lot of work on the roads lately and many of them are beginning to look like actual roads as opposed to the lunar surface they used to resemble. Amish buggies and farm equipment are still a beeeech though.

 

Ok man, here's the deal. I have an 81 Vette, but I also have a 93 Civic. If your vette is a 79-82 and you haven't done anything with it, the Civic will beat you. If he has the 1.8 liter DOHC engine, with VTEC, and he's built it up a bit, he can safely stay in the mid to low 13's, naturally aspirated, no bs. If he has the 1.6 liter DOHC engine with VTEC, and he's beefed it up a bit, you're looking at high 13's, low 14's. If he doesn't have either one of these engines, you have nothing to worry about. If he has a 1.6L SOHC VTEC engine, you'll smoke him. Even if he has a turbo... And usually us Honda guys can't drag race, just street race. So there ya go. By the way, you can make a Honda smoke a big block Corvette, it just takes $13,000 to do it... :)

 

I have what some of you guys might call a ricer, and it is somewhat fast. The only difference is it is AWD and turbo (WRX) with roughly 300HP. Civics can become fast, it just takes an engine swap and some mods to do it. Of course when my 74 gets done the the only thing I'll use the other car for is commuting. :yesnod:

 

You could buy another big block corvette for the price it takes to beat one ;)

 

Yeah, street racing is what this guy is mainly into. When he first mentioned racing me he said "I know this road we race on all the time, we'll have to go down there.." but I cut him off.

"Hell no. You want to race, it's on a track."

I'm just not into street racing. Too many people killed by it.

 

What I would do is optimize all my present set-ups. ie. Make sure the timing is perfect, plugs perfect, air filter perfect ect ect ect. Buy some REAL fuel :yesnod: . lLose a few pounds of air in the rear tires. If he has something that is fast, You have got to leave the line quick. Launch the car with just a haze of wheelspin..max. The 3.08 will build speed but not quickness. I used to practice at stoplights; without looking at the oppasite traffic light I would practice releasing the brake pedal as quick as possable. Not a launch at every light, but eye/foot reaction. Just make sure the Vette is in its optimum state. Good luck and have fun.

 

"I'm just not into street racing. Too many people killed by it."
________________________________________ _________

Gotta go along with you on that! I used to do my share. Dumb thing to do. Got caught twice by the police. Nothing scares the crap out of you more than the threat of losing your license. I couldn't imagine the embarassment of walking to work while your buddy drives by you in his ricer. Luckily, the cops let me go with a warning both times.

So... race him at the strip, bring along an hourglass so you can measure his time (tracks measure ET's in seconds, not hours), and don't forget to shift out of second in your jubilation at passing him like he was standing still. Most of the ricers I've seen are posuers. Fart pipe, big wing in the back, and lots of stickers. None of which make'em any faster.

 

Saw this Civic at the drag strip this summer turning 9's at 145 MPH, sounds like a bumble bee on steroids, not my kind of fun.

That being said I have blown away a few ricers and some of these cars looked real bad but they got real small in the rear view mirror real fast. :D

 

OnlyC3-4me, I only have about 800 miles on the whole setup. Plugs, air filter, fuel filter, engine, etc... Station not too far from me sells Turbo Blue. I'm going to play with the timing though. It's set to 10 at idle but was set to 16 before and I never had any knocking issues except on startup. I might remove my spare tire carrier and carry my toolbox in a friend's car. My biggest question right now is the carb. I know it isn't optimal.

LemansBlue68, He says he doesn't have a problem racing at the strip though he's never done it before. He says they block off the stretch of road when they race but I have a feeling the track is much longer than a 1/4 mile. If I have 1.5 miles to get up to speed I'll probably lose because I'm not insane enough to drive faster than 130 on a back road. I have enough to worry about doing 100 on a strip. It's funny you mention shifting. When I finished the break-in I gave it a couple hard runs and once, shifting from second, I bumped the shifter too far and wound up in neutral and at redline real quick. In fact I may have over-revved. :bb That's all I'd need to do while racing. :rolleyes:

MotorHead, Bumble bee on steroids.... :U Exhaust is my next upgrade. The only thing I can think at WOT is Buick. :rolleyes: She accelerates like a bat out of hades but sounds so boring. I'm glad I have a car that will bark, not buzz. I know everyone is always saying it but those tires look so cool on your car.

 

don't sweat it, you'll beat him no problem. if you want i can come to ya and spank him a lil with my other car. ('96 eclipse) good luck and remember to not try and keep the wheels locked on the road, spinning will cause you to loose real quick

 

I'm beginning to see I have nothing to worry about. I actually got to drive my car yesterday (to the shop :rolleyes:) and remembered just how quick that car is. It will hook no problem even with a severely misaligned pass. rear wheel so now I'm just wondering how the new spring, shocks, and smart-struts will behaive. I just ordered a set of flowmaster 40's to make the car a little more aggressive sounding.

I love it when a Corvette comes together. :D

 

I go to highschool... so i see lotsa ricers. generally unless mommy and daddy pay for their cars, its mainly stock cars that need Oh so much engine work (sounds like a diesel) and about 3 pounds of stickers. there is one car that i dont care to race and that is a s2000. yes. its a fast car. 0-60 in 5.5 or somethin... 240 hp in 2400lbs or somewhere like that. scary fast. also about 30-35k tire pressure? look at the drivers side ID tag on the car. it will list a tire pressure for everyday driving and a tire pressure for optimum handling and traction. the tire pressure for everyday driving will be a higher psi. weight is a big thing. ive seen first hand where someones dropped a mere 30 lbs off the car and consistently getting ets about a thousandth of a second faster .. so less gas no spare tire etc etc is a big difference as long as doing so doesnt compromise traction.
even if you do lose... and you havent been talking smack .. right? then congratulate the guy. if you act like "well you got lucky" then he WONT ever let you forget about it. just grin and say good race.... then go take a trip to the local hot rod shop :smash: